Hawks fall to Nuggets 133-115 as defense struggles in sixth consecutive home loss

The Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets battled on Friday night. The Hawks were unable to pick up the win in this one, losing to Denver by a score of 133-115 in what was a wire-to-wire win for the Nuggets. The loss marked the sixth straight home loss for the Hawks.

The Hawks trailed the Nuggets 29-26 after the first quarter. Jeff Green led Denver with eight points in the first.

For the Hawks, Onyeka Okongwu made his season debut off the bench late in the first quarter. He provided an energy boost to the team and looked good overall in his return to play.

The Hawks unraveled defensively in the second quarter, giving up 43 points and 15-of-23 shooting to the Nuggets in the period. Bones Hyland got hot for Denver, scoring 12 points in the quarter.

Atlanta trailed 72-54 at the half, with John Collins leading the way with 12 points and five rebounds. Trae Young had 11 points and six assists at the break. Nikola Jokic had 13 points and seven rebounds in the half for Denver.

The Hawks were unable to make any ground on the Nuggets in the second half, as they continued to struggle on the defensive end. Denver led by as much as 25 in the win, and held a commanding lead for the majority of the game following their second quarter explosion.

Jokic finished with 20 points, ten rebounds and seven assists in the win. Green finished with 20 points and five rebounds.

Young finished with 34 points and 10 assists in the loss, with Collins adding 20 points and 10 rebounds. Okongwu finished with 10 points in 14 minutes in his return.

The Hawks will be back in action Sunday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stay tuned.